


the end of this secret is a new start

by agateophobia



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adoptive Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Alternate Universe, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Human Experimentation, Inspired by Maximum Ride, Misgendering, Multiple Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Parental Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Being a Little Shit (Video Blogging RPF), Trans Floris | Fundy, bcs maximum ride, bcs these scientists suck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28844859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agateophobia/pseuds/agateophobia
Summary: "this is where we take it all back, either that, or we get nothing"orthey're all trying to stay out of the facility and along the way, make new friends and important allies
Relationships: Cara | CaptainPuffy & Ranboo, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Eret & Floris | Fundy & Niki | Nihachu, No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit, Zak Ahmed & Antfrost & Darryl Noveschosch & Alexis | Quackity
Comments: 16
Kudos: 65





	1. prologue

**Facility Records**

_Branch 1_

SUBJECT: WCJE6Y (“Wilbur”)

Age: 19

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Ovine; 2% Ovis Canadensis 

Donated: 14 September 1996

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: J9UNSK (“Tommy”)

Age: 11

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Murine; 2% Sciurus Carolinensis

Donated: 9 April 2004

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: SM78OI (“Techno”)

Age: 16

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Porcine; 2% Sus Scrofa

Donated: 1 June 1999

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: V0NJSI (“Tubbo”)

Age: 12

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Apian; 3% Apis Mellifera

Donated: 23 December 2003

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: 5YTQTR (“Schlatt”)

Age: 16

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Ovine; 3% Ovis Canadensis 

Donated: 10 September 1999

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: QC4X61 (“Philza”)

Age: [REDACTED]

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Avian; 2% Buteo Buteo

Donated: 1 March 1988

Status: [REDACTED]

[…]

-

_Branch 2_

SUBJECT: TREJDE (“Fundy”)

Age: 16

Sex: F

Experiment Type: Vulpine; 3% Vulpes Vulpes

Donated: 10 October 1999

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: 8GIUV8 (“Niki”)

Age: 14

Sex: F

Experiment Type: Avian; 2% Cygnus Olor

Donated: 3 November 2001

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: HLBZN3 (“Eret”)

Age: 17

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Pardine; 2% Panthera Uncia

Donated: 9 January 1999

Status: Alive

[…]

-

_Branch 3_

SUBJECT: KKJCJ1 (“Ant”)

Age: 17

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Feline; 3% Felis Catus

Donated: 6 November 1998

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: VL87ZY (“Bad”)

Age: 20

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Avian; 2% Anas Platyrhynchos

Donated: 2 April 1995

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: L80UM9 (“Skeppy”)

Age: 16

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Avian; 3% Anas Platyrhynchos

Donated: 17 January 2000

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: Z8UG28 (“Quackity”)

Age: 15

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Avian; 2% Milvus Migrans

Donated: 28 December 2000

Status: Alive

[…]

-

_Branch 4_

SUBJECT: 28PC8F (“Ranboo”)

Age: 12

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Ursine; 3% Ursus Americanus

Donated: [REDACTED] 2002

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: IXFJ9A (“Puffy”)

Age: 17

Sex: F

Experiment Type: Ovine; 2% Ovis Aries

Donated: 18 September 1998

Status: Alive

[…]

-

_Branch 5_

SUBJECT: PSYZ4O (“Sapnap”)

Age: 14

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Ursine; 2% Ailuropoda Melanoleuca

Donated: 1 March 2001

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: U7F0QX (“George”)

Age: 18

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Murine; 2% Peromyscus Polionotus

Donated: 1 November 1996

Status: Alive

[…]

-

SUBJECT: T7IPU8 (“Dream”)

Age: 16

Sex: M

Experiment Type: Eusuchian; 3% Crocodylus Porosus, Serpentine; 2% Notechis Scutatus, Feline; 2%

Acinonyx Jubatus, Lupine; 1% Canis Lupus

Donated: 12 August 1999

Status: Alive

[…]

-

_Other_

Name: Karl Jacobs

Age: 17

Sex: M

DOB: 19 July 1998


	2. Chapter 2

_Wilbur watched as the Whitecoats wheeled in Schlatt, dropping his cage down next to Wilbur. Once they had left, Wilbur sent a smile towards Schlatt, who grumbled in response._

_“What do you want, pretty boy?”_

_Wilbur tensed at his response. “You didn’t have to be so rude about it, I just wanted to say hello.”_

_“Well then, hello Wilbur,” Schlatt replied. The two of them sat in silence, silently waiting for the other to speak. Just as how this pseudo-conversation started, Wilbur spoke up._

_“If you could get out of here, what would you do?”_

_“Go to school, probably,” Schlatt said with a shrug. “I’ve heard some of the Whitecoats talk about school and they seem to have different opinions on it. I want to know what my opinion would be.”_

_As Schlatt talked, the corners of Wilbur’s mouth started turning up._

_“What about you?”_

_Wilbur perked up. “I’d like to make my own country.”_

_“Well, if you made your own country, could I be the president of it?”_

_He nodded which made Schlatt finally smile…_

Wilbur woke up with a start. It was just a dream; he wasn’t back there again. However, as that realisation sunk in, another one came to take its place. Schlatt was still at the Facility, and he had been there this whole time.

Pulling back his blanket, Wilbur got up to grab his hairbrush and began yanking it through his hair. Carefully brushing around his big ass horns, Wilbur combed his hair. It took around ten minutes until he was satisfied with his work. He then grabbed his beanie and strung it over his horns before leaving his room.

The house was quiet, which meant that Tommy was asleep, so Wilbur took this time to scour the kitchen for breakfast. There wasn’t much food, but they should still be able to survive off of it for the next few days.

Wilbur heard quiet footsteps and turned around to see that Techno had walked in. He was the second oldest and despite looking scary with his sharp tusks and deep voice, Techno was actually quite friendly.

“Do we have any food? Or do we have to go find some again?”

“We should have enough for the next few days. Although considering how much Tommy and Tubbo are eating now, probably not enough for us,” Wilbur explained, gesturing to the fridge.

Techno grunted, and after years of being around him, Wilbur understood that as Techno’s ‘yes’ when he was too tired to function.

“I’m gonna make some eggs, could you help me?” Wilbur asked. Techno nodded and got some eggs and other ingredients while Wilbur grabbed the pan and put it on the stove. The two of them began whiling away at the stove. It was only when the smell of cooked eggs filled the kitchen that Tommy appeared.

“Mmm me gusta!” he cried, ruining their perfect silence. Tommy tried to keep up an image of being tough and loud, but it was often betrayed by his big bushy tail.

“Hello to you too,” Techno replied, not bothering to turn around.

In contrast, to Tommy’s boisterous voice, Tubbo sleepy voice was heard next. “What’s for breakfast?”

Tubbo, despite being best friends to Tommy, was much quieter and nicer in comparison. Thus, it would make sense that his small bee wings matched that.

“I don’t know? You tell me,” Wilbur replied, glancing behind him to see the two of them waiting. “How about you guys set the table.”

As Tommy and Tubbo got to work, Wilbur turned back to the stove with a smile. There was no way he was going to admit it out loud, but he did in fact like Tommy and Tubbo.

“You see Tubbo, the reason we’re not allowed in town-” Tommy said.

“I know why we’re not allowed in town,” Tubbo interrupted with a sigh.

“The _real_ reason we’re not allowed in town is because all the women will flock to me and it’ll blow our cover.”

At those words, Wilbur turned around. “Tommy, you’re eleven. Why are you talking about girls like that?”

“Because no one here will,” Tommy answered with a grin. Wilbur wanted to smack him but he instead just sighed.

“Keep setting the table, please.”

Somehow the four of them came to the conclusion that they should go for a walk. Grabbing the keys, Wilbur followed Techno out of the house and waited for the other two to leave before locking the front door. The air here was clean and cold, as one would expect in the middle of nowhere. It also, conveniently, was a beautiful day.

“If I had a knife gun, I would shoot all of these fuckers out of the sky,” Tommy told Tubbo, gesturing to the birds flying past.

Maybe not a beautiful day for everyone, but the thought still counted.

“Leave the poor birds alone,” Techno said, with no real malice in his voice.

“Don’t argue with me Techno,” Tommy replied. “If you had a knife gun, you’d shoot orphans.”

“Those orphans deserve it, these birds, on the other hand, don’t.”

Wilbur lifted an eyebrow. “What even is a knife gun?”

“It’s a gun that shoots knives,” Tubbo said as if it made any sense. “The birds wouldn’t think much of his close-quarters knife but they would be scared of his knife gun.”

Tommy grinned. “See, Tubbo gets it. However, even though I don’t have a knife gun, at least I still have a knife.”

The child then proceeded to pull out a kitchen knife.

“Tommy, what the fuck is that?” Wilbur asked, holding up his hands. “And why did you bring it out here?”

“Yeah, why did the weak child bring a knife?” a voice called out. “It’s not like he’s gonna do any real damage with it.”

Wilbur turned around and what he saw made his blood run cold. It was a person, yet they were hunched over slightly and was covered in fur. It almost looked like a werewolf but it was an experiment with high amounts of lupine DNA. They were known as Erasers.

“Wh… What are you doing here?” Wilbur muttered, knots growing in his stomach.

“What do you expect?” the Eraser replied with a smirk. “They want you back.”

“Well, at least it’s just you!” Tommy cried. “We’ll be able to outnumber you.”

Out the corner of Wilbur’s eyes, he saw Techno glare at Tommy but that was not his concern. His concern was the fact that the Eraser smiled as Tommy’s words.

“I’m glad you said that J9UNSK-” Tommy flinched at his old name. “-Because I am, in fact, am not alone.”

And at those words, Wilbur watched as more Erasers emerged from behind them until there were a dozen Erasers standing behind the original Eraser.

“What were you saying about outnumbering me?” he taunted. There was a pause before the Erasers all attacked. Wilbur threw his fist at an Eraser’s face, the action bruising his hand. Realising the Eraser would attack next, Wilbur dunked, narrowly missing a clawed hand to the face.

He took a step back and glanced over to Tommy, who was getting cornered by two Erasers.

“Tommy! Normally I tell you off for being too violent but listen to me!” he cried. “Now is your time to go buck wild. Stab them! Go fuck shit up!”

Just before he got kicked in the stomach, Wilbur watched Tommy plunged his knife into an Eraser’s face. It was gross but it was kind of liberating seeing that not only did he have the power to defend himself, he just had that kind of power.

Getting back up, Wilbur stepped back before sending a roundhouse kick to his chest. The Eraser barely moved and Wilbur tried again by grabbing his arm and pulling him, or trying to, to make kicking his face easier. The only marking was dirt from the bottom of Wilbur’s shoe.

They continued fighting and Wilbur knew he was weakening, he could taste blood in his mouth, one eye was swelling shut, and his whole body ached. However, that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was when he heard Tubbo’s scream.

All three of them turned around to see that two Erasers had grabbed Tubbo by his arms and were dragging him away from the area. Instantly, Tommy stabbed the Eraser he was fighting in the arm before rushing over to Tubbo with Techno and Wilbur right behind him. With Tommy stabbing one Eraser and Wilbur and Techno tackling the other, it didn’t take that long for Tubbo to be freed.

Using his momentum, Wilbur grabbed Tommy and Tubbo by their arms and kept running, knowing that Techno would be right behind him.

“Why are we running!? Why are we leaving?!” Tommy cried, swinging his knife around. Wilbur ignored him, instead, focusing his energy on outrunning the Erasers.

“Because there’s too many of them,” Techno answered for him. “If we kept fighting, they would’ve captured us. You saw what happened to Tubbo.”

“But I have a knife!”

“Not all of us have knives, Tommy,” Tubbo replied. The four of them kept running until their legs were burning and the only thing that was going through their minds was to keep running.


	3. Chapter 3

Eret opened their eyes to the feeling of a sore neck and blinding light. But they had expected it, the couch was rather old. Without even looking, they reached over and grabbed the sunglasses from the coffee table and put them on. Once the sunglasses were on, Eret felt like they could breathe. Or more accurately, see.

Getting up, Eret wandered over to the only bedroom in the cabin, with their leopard tail brushing against their legs, and pushed open the door to see that both Niki and Fundy were still asleep. Eret figured that a little more sleep wouldn’t hurt the two, so they walked back to the main room.

After grabbing a few cans, and noting that their supply was nearing its end, they placed it on the coffee table. It didn’t take long for Fundy to appear. With his fluffy tail and chopped hair that somehow both managed to hide and accentuate his fox ears, Fundy was easy to tease. But when times were tough, he was the most serious out of all of them.

“Hey man,” Eret said.

A quick smile flashed onto Fundy’s features at those words. “Hi, Eret. Niki’s still asleep but she should be coming soon. How’s our food situation?”

“Not the best,” they admitted. “I think if we’re smart about it, it’ll last a few weeks.”

“So be smart.” Said a third voice, and the two of them turned around to see Niki awake. “If anything, we should use these few weeks to figure out our food situation.”

Even though she was the youngest and quietest of the group, that didn’t mean she was passive. Her small stature and graceful swan wings, which she kept tucked against her back, fit well in the trio.

“Agreed. But first, we eat,” Eret replied. At his words, Niki joined the two at the coffee table, where they all dug into the canned foods. Once they finished their meal, Eret sighed, leaning back against the couch.

“What?” Fundy asked, also leaning against the couch.

“We’re free,” he said. “We’re free from them, we’re free from fear, we’re free from society. Although that just means we’re bored now.”

That earned a chuckle from the other two.

“Any suggestions for what to do?” Eret continued.

“Survive?” Fundy suggested the corner of his mouth quirked up.

He laughed. “That was given. But seriously, any ideas of how to spend today?”

“I might stretch my wings and fly around a bit,” Niki said. “You’re welcome to come outside and watch me.”

“Make sure to not be seen. You don’t know who could be nearby,” Fundy added.

She grinned. “That was given.”

Sensing that the conversation was finishing, Eret got up and grabbed all the empty cans before dumping them in the pile. It was getting bigger by the day, but that was a problem for another time. He turned around and followed the other two outside, to where the sun slashed through the dark clouds and shone onto the trio. It was a good day.

Eret watched as Niki unfurled her wings before taking off, flying towards the rising sun. She looked so majestic flying around, it almost made all the fucked-up shit worth it. _Almost_.

As Niki began descending, he noticed this strange humming sound and faced Fundy.

“Do you hear that?”

Fundy nodded; his eyes narrowed, and as Eret tried to place the sound, a shriek interrupted her thoughts. Jumping up, she watched as Niki dashed to the ground.

“Helicopter!” she cried. “A helicopter!”

Fundy and Eret helped Niki up before they all rushed inside. Hiding underneath the window, Eret watched as the helicopter lowered itself in front of the cabin. A scientist stepped out, along with three Erasers. She had no idea how to outrun a helicopter, but outrunning three Erasers was possible, but still tricky.

“We meet again, TREJDE, 8GIUV8…” the scientist called out. The other two looked uncomfortable hearing their old names.

“…And HLBZN3.”

Eret frowned upon hearing that.

“What? Did you think we forgot about you?” the scientist continued. “We couldn’t have you guys running around free like that.”

Apparently, that was a cue because after the scientist said that, three hummers drove up to the cabin, all containing Erasers. Deep down, she knew that there would be no way of escaping all of them, but they weren’t gonna go down with a fight. They didn’t have a choice.

The next moments felt like a blur. Suddenly, the door burst open and Erasers began pouring in. Eret tried fighting the Erasers that came for her, kicking and punching as much as she could. It was working for her for a while, but once she heard a cry from Niki, Eret froze, giving the Erasers enough time to grab her. She was dragged out of their cabin quickly, but it wasn’t quick enough to miss the helpless look in Fundy’s eyes.

 _I’m sorry Fundy,_ Eret thought. _And I’m sorry Niki._

A sack was tossed over her head, but that didn’t stop her from feeling the helicopter under her feet and the feeling of lifting off into the sky before she blacked out.

The first thing Eret noticed when he woke up was the blinding light. The second thing he noticed was the feeling of cold steel and even colder chemicals in the air.

He heard a groan and turned to his right; although, without his sunglasses, it was difficult to make out his surroundings.

“Where are we…?” Fundy murmured. His voice thick, probably from fighting all the Erasers or from crying. Both were very probable.

“The Facility.” Came a quiet voice, which Eret knew to be Niki’s.

Eret checked his cage with his hands and noted that his sunglasses were nowhere to be found. Of course, the scientist would take them away, but it was still hard knowing they were gone.

“I can’t believe we’re back here,” Fundy said. “I thought we had finally gotten away.”

“…Not to bring you down even further Fundy but, I don’t think we can ever really get away,” Eret replied, keeping his head down. The bottom of the cage was much darker than the rest of the room, especially with the fluorescent lighting.

“Can you never get away from here?” said another deep, but unknown voice. Eret flinched. He was under the impression that the three of them were alone.

“I guess not,” Niki replied. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t try.”

“We will get out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the scientists fucked with eret’s eyes and basically, he doesn’t have irises (which help regulate the amount of light entering the eye) so everything is super bright for him. not only does he wear sunnies for that reason but he also wears them bcs he’s insecure about how his eyes look


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> school has started and as such my updates will be much slower

Bad watched as the sunlight peeked through the trees, and deciding that it was sufficiently morning, he turned around to wake his friends up.

“Ughh, do I have to be on watch again?” Quackity groaned. He was the youngest and most immature out of the group, but his impressive bird wings still gave him a sense of power. 

“No, you muffin,” Bad replied, trying but failing to hide a smile. “It’s just morning.”

But morning meant a new day which meant trying to find food and seeking a new place to sleep. And because Bad was the oldest, that meant he was in charge of that. His grey duck wings, which he kept tucked against his back, and his dislike of swearing, made him unlikely to be in charge, but here he was.

“I saw the streetlights of a town or city or something when I was on watch,” Ant said. “Maybe they’ll be some food there or at least something.”

That didn’t mean he was alone in the decisions though.

“Wonderful.”

Noticing that their little conversation had come to an end, Bad stood up and started walking towards the town, trusting that the other three were behind him. As he was walking, Bad realised it would’ve been quicker to fly there, but he reasoned that stretching their legs would be good.

Once they approached the town, the first thing they noticed was a fast-food restaurant. As quietly as they could, they rushed to the back and began sorting through the bins to find something edible. Which they found wasn’t that hard.

“Why do they even waste all of this food?” Bad asked, mostly to himself.

Skeppy shrugged. “Beats me, but at least it’s free food for ourselves.”

The fellow duck hybrid and best friend of Bad, despite being five years younger than him, had a pretty immature sense of humour (not as immature as Quackity) yet when moments were tough, he was a valuable member of their group.

Bad watched as Ant started piling some of the food into his backpack. But that was Ant. With his grey tail and cat ears, that he would hide with a hat, along with blinding blue eyes, Ant had no wings of his own but still fit well with them. It definitely helped that he was the most organised out of them all, keeping the group together like glue.

Once everyone was finished, Bad led them out into the street. There were only a couple people walking past, but the ones that were either stared the group down or completely ignore them.

 _It’s because we’re homeless,_ Bad though. _Everywhere we go, we get the same two looks._

Except for when they encountered other homeless people, who would give them sympathetic but understanding looks. These people always made Bad feel guilty. Because an evil scientist hadn’t failed them, the world had. Which made it much worse.

For their group, appearing homeless was okay though, (Who were they kidding, they _were_ homeless, they’ve never had a home.) because that meant it was easier to slip in and out of cities and towns without their existence being questioned.

“Hey, Skeppy,” Ant said, turning to face him.

Skeppy looked up. “Mmhm?”

“A while ago, I heard a group of girls in the woods playing this game they called ‘Would you Rather’. I think how it works is that you are given two scenarios and you have to pick which one you would rather,” Ant explained. “Do you want me to pick or you to pick?”

“I’ll pick,” Skeppy replied, giving a lopsided smile.

“Alright. Would you rather kill Quackity-?”

“Yes, kill him.”

Ant flinched. “I didn’t even say the other-”

“I don’t need to hear it,” he explained, sending a cryptic smile towards Quackity, who paled.

A pause.

“I’m feeling a little unsafe,” Quackity said.

At that, Skeppy smiled for real. “I’m just messing with ya, buddy. I don’t want to actually kill you.”

Everyone laughed, although Quackity still looked uncomfortable, before moving on.

“What about you, Bad?” Skeppy asked, turning to face him. “Do you wanna play?”

Bad opened his mouth, but just before he spoke, he noticed that all the pedestrians had disappeared and instead were replaced by a specific group of people that Bad instinctively knew came from the facility: Erasers.

“Yeah, I wanna play,” one of them interrupted, looking at Skeppy. “Would you rather be killed by us, or come back home. To the facility.”

This time, all four of them paled.

Bad quickly counted all the Erasers, about a dozen of them, possibly more hiding, which meant there was no way of fighting. So, they had to fly away. And in order for them to fly away, Bad needed to distract the Erasers.

“Up, I’ll distract,” he whispered, the word barely sounding like it got out there. Although it had, as Bad noticed a slight shift on Skeppy’s and Quackity’s back, as well as Ant’s expression hardening.

Bad took a deep breath before punching the Eraser closest to him in the face and running away. Obviously, this got a good portion of the Erasers chasing after him, which should’ve given the others enough time to get in the air, although Bad could not look behind him. When he felt a rough hand gripped onto his arm, Bad swung around and used that momentum to swing a fist into the Eraser, loosening the grip on Bad.

Unfortunately, this action gave the other Erasers enough time to surround him. When he had about two more Erasers grabbing onto him, Bad took in a quick but deep breath, trying to prepare himself on what was coming next, before snapping his wings open. Not only did this hurt like a _muffin_ , but it had the desired effect of knocking the Erasers closest to him down.

Without wasting a single second, Bad took a step back and did a run-and-jump, relying on his sore wings to take him into the air (which was easier said than done) towards his friends. It didn’t take long for them to slow down and join him.

“You alright, Bad?” Ant asked. He was being held up by both Quackity and Skeppy.

Bad nodded. “That hurt, but I’ll be alright. Our priority is to stay one step ahead of those Erasers.”

“We haven’t seen them for months,” Quackity pointed out. “Why have they come for us now?”

“I don’t know… I don’t know.” Was all that Bad could say. The four of them kept silent, choosing to focus on their energy, as they flew into the metaphorical sun.

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is @hannasational and i'll be spilling extra content there :)))))


End file.
